Southampton Law School students attend Intellectual Property conference at Simmons & Simmons

Published: 16 January 2017

Dr Eleonora Rosati with Southampton Law School Students at Intellectual Property Conference

The conference entitled "The Present and Future of EU and UK Copyright" was held at the London offices of Simmons&Simmons on 16 January 2017. Organised by Dr Eleonora Rosati in her capacity as Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (Oxford University Press), the event was attended by over 150 guests including practitioners, academics, industry representatives, public policy managers, and students alike. A large group of Southampton Intellectual Property students; past and present also attended.

The conference programme included two keynote addresses - by Advocate General Maciej Szpunar (Court of Justice of the European Union) and Sir Richard Arnold (High Court of England and Wales) - and panels composed of copyright experts from a variety of backgrounds.

Dr Rosati said “"Attending the conference has helped students gain a more rounded perspective on copyright, and also see that there is a big copyright community composed of different types of professionals.

The students who attended will think about the topics they study in the IP course as "living" issues, with clear business and policy dimensions, as well as being subject to constant evolution. I hope the students who attended enjoyed this experience"

Roosa Tarkiainen, Law School student said: “Attending the conference was especially exciting given the presence of so many leading academics and practitioners from the IP field. The highlight of the evening was listening to the keynote addresses by Advocate General Szpunar and Sir Richard Arnold – both carrying somewhat of a celebrity status to us copyright enthusiasts.”

Angelo Mogan, Law School student said: “This conference has given me practical insight into what is actually going on in the UK, in the IP law field, after the Brexit referendum. I have further developed my understanding in this area of the law and still seek to pursue a career in Intellectual Property law. Conferences such as these are crucial for students who seek to gain further knowledge in particular areas of law.”

As a student still relatively new to this area of the law, there was something very satisfying in being able to actively follow the panel debates and continue the discussion with some of the experts during the break. Events like these really do bring the law to life and help to bridge the gap between your studies and practice of the law.